


Lup's Sacrifice

by TekkyTechnician



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Gen, Spoilers for Episode: e060-066 The Stolen Century Parts 1-7, The Hunger, black magic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-12
Updated: 2018-09-12
Packaged: 2019-07-11 10:21:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15970349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TekkyTechnician/pseuds/TekkyTechnician
Summary: Her family is flying off planet. Lup knows she can keep them safe from the Hunger, she can end it here and now. She can't afford to think otherwise. But is she willing to sacrifice it all for them?





	Lup's Sacrifice

**Author's Note:**

> So I listened to the first episode of the Stolen Century and had to write this. So idk if it's even close to canon, but it's how I would end the story given what I know now. Just a quick little fic before I finish the balance arc. Enjoy!

"Go on without me, I'll stay back and buy you some time!" She turns as the hatch closes, flames rippling across her skin as nine will-o'-wisps encircle her head. Having lost Davenport some months back Magnus maneuvers the ship quickly, though somewhat crudely, through the tendrils of hunger which approach the planet they've called home for the last year.   
She watches as the ship flies away. With a wave of her hand, the will-o'-the-wisps fly up and strike some of the tendrils which come a little to close to the ship, and they explode into great fireballs on contact. She focuses her magic as fireballs fly from her fingertips. The ground beneath her feet ignites as the creatures of hunger rush in to attack her, only to be incinerated in a rapidly expanding wall of flame. Her magical energy surges, and a smile pulls at her lips. It's really amazing what sort of magical energy can be harnessed if you no longer care about whether or not you survive. Flames licked her skin. she was just getting started. When the ship disappeared from view, she resisted the thrall of time. The universe tried to pull her back to the ship, and she launched herself into the air, more a fireball than a person. The hunger quickly honed in on her position, and a large tendril knocked her back towards the ground, but a burst of energy destroyed the tendril and she resumes her ascent.   
As she flies through the air, she's making headway against the hunger. But now her stamina is fading, and the hunger is seemingly endless. A massive tendril comes from the sky and strikes her down, and she tries to fight it, but this time, it's too much. She's completly overwhelmed. and then she's floating in an ocean with large jellyfish like creatures before her. She gets the feeling that they're here for a reason. "Help me, I'll give anything," she pleads. And a face appears before her. "Barry Bluejeans," she whispers, and his memory is gone. She's one again before the hunger, fully rejuvenated. She flies back into battle, and is struck down once more. Once more she floats before the voidfish, begging for power. And they give it to her, this time for her brother, Takko, the next for captain, Davenport. This repeats again and again, every time Lup gives up more and more of herself, until all she has left is her name. She knows in her gut she must sacrifice more, and this time she gives it all. She gives herself in, not to fire this time, but to reality itself. Five words escape her lips, and Lup is no more. 

*fade to black* (ooh spooky)

Lup awakens, in a familiar seat, drinking a cup of black coffee, in a scene that feels familiar, but she can't place why. Her head throbs, and she staggers over to dim the lights. The hot liquid burns her tongue slightly, but she forces down a painful gulp, hoping to clear her head a bit. What is she doing here? She tries to remember but nothing comes, as if the whole world around her is nothing but a dream. Another sip of coffee does little more than burn her throat, and she wonders how much she drank last night. Clearly too much anyway, she had to learn to stop going out like that but she just wanted to.... The thought trails off, everything that happened last night is little more than a blur. Taking a vow of abstinence she downs the rest of her coffee, and makes her way to the galley for another cup. 

A moment later Lup empties the contents of the paper packet into her cup. She pours in filtered water and touches the ring on her left hand. The sigil glows faintly and within moments the galley is filled with the wretched scent of cheap coffee. She walks out back into the main cabin of the ship, grunting as she brushes up against the figure coming out of their bunk. Pleasantries would have to wait until after her head stopped pounding. Not that it would matter, they never spoke anyway.  
She makes her way to the cockpit. "Why did we even have a pilot in this thing anyway?" she says to no one in particular. "Nothing's out here." She stares into the thick, impenetrable fog before her, occasionally pressing the coffee to her lips. She tries to remember what she was supposed to be doing, but it's been so long, and her head aches again. On another part of the ship, out of sight, a wisp of colorful smoke is pulled up into the being, swirling around in its body before fading into nothingness. Of course Lup doesn't see this, she's too busy looking for whatever isn't in the fog before them.   
Today, however, would be different than the last several days. Recently, the hours and days and months and years and minutes flowed together. Wait minutes? How long was she in here?  
Suddenly a searing pain splits her head. Lup screams, and falls to the ground, the cardboard cup hit and splatters coffee across the control panel. She lies on the floor, clutching her head, groaning. Faintly she feels the grasp of a familiar hand. She tries to push back, but they're stronger, or at least more attuned to the. . . and the world goes white.  
She finds herself standing before a hooded figure, wearing a deep black robe, with swirls of color woven into the strange fabric. Whatever it's made of, it isn't cloth, yet it moves of the softest silk. As Lup looks more closely, she notices the shackles on the figure's wrists, chains connecting the two of them. Behind them is the voidfish, the same one she created, how many thousands of cycles ago? In death her memories come rushing back, and she is rejuvenated, as she stands resolute once again. All she needs to do is repeat those five words. Just five words to restart the cycle and save everyone she loves. She opens her mouth, and the words catch in her throat as she feels the familiar touch, as if there was a hand in hers, telling her that she's not alone. But she persists, knowing the alternative is death for everybody she has ever loved. "I wish to end this." And the most powerful spell a mortal can cast once again alters reality, and pulls her and the hunger to that ship once again.  
Lup awakens again, in the same seat on the ship, nursing her coffee. The most recent events lost to the fog of dreams. As hard as she tries to remember there's nothing but static. She barely manages to pull herself into the galley before the headaches start again. This time, it's not a hand, but a voice shouting out "Abra-ca-fuck-you!" And just like that the cycle is ended early.   
Once again, she's in the white space, standing before the voidfish. Tears sting her eyes as she cries out. "They're supposed to forget everything! I'm not supposed to exist anymore!" She falls to her knees. She sits there for a while before swallowing her tears. She found out the hard way, a thousand years ago, that if she sits silently for too long the white space begins to crack. And she knows nothing good can come from that. Sobs catch in her throat, but as she speaks the incantation magic steadies her voice. Powerful and strong she says "I wish to end this." And the cycle repeats, pulling her and the hunger to that ship once again.  
Lup, awakens in her familiar seat. But this time, something is different. The figure is standing in the cabin with her. Silent and stoic as always, colorful smoke swirls in its body. "Has that always been there?" The figure pulled back its lips, revealing jagged teeth in a large grin and Lup reels back in shock. The figure never did anything but walk from room to room before. "Can you... can you talk?" With a blink, the grin vanished, and the figure walks silently toward the cockpit. Lup rubbed her temples. She must be more hungover than she thought. She downs the rest of her coffee, and stumbles into the galley for another cup. After watching the fog for a few hours, Lup goes into the main cockpit and grabs some comics. Her head still doesn't feel any better, so why not get some mindless entertainment. She just sort of blankly stares at the pages, though, she has to have read these a thousand times over by now. Of course, she can't remember anything that happens, but she just can't focus anymore. She starts to doze off when the pain returns, this time fiercer than ever before. She screams out, and six faces appear in her mind, clear as day. Takko, Magnus, Merle, Davenport, Barry and Lucretia. She falls to the ground and calls out their names, and the world goes white.   
This time, she's lying on the ground, sobbing. The pain is too much to bear. For the first time in all these loops the hunger speaks. "Lup, Lup I can help you. But you have to want me to help you. Just say the word, well, five words, and we can be free of this. Just wish for your freedom, and we'll get them back, together."  
Lup hiccups and coughs, the pain of the memories returning is too great a burden to bear. "No-nononono. I can't! You-you'll kill them all. They're coun-counting on me to fix this."  
"Lup" the figure says, "we can save them, together. I can help you. Trust me, do you trust me?"  
"No"  
"After everything we've been through together, the years and months and minutes and seconds."  
"No, no nono" she sobs.  
"Listen to me, Lup!" it jerks the chains and she looks up at it. "Listen to me" it says in a much softer tone. "You won't be in pain anymore. We've created the universe a hundred times over already. The next one will be a paradise for you with your family." Lup sniffs loudly. "Just say the words."  
She swallows, hard, and the magic flowing through her steadies her voice. "I wish" she says, deliberately, with emphasis on each word. She closes her eyes, tips her head back and lets go of all the pain she's endured over the centuries. "I wish I was free."  
And the white space cracks. The entire world around her crumbles away and falls apart. But she doesn't notice. Because, for Lup, the chains pull taught and she's lifted up, staring face to face with the hunger. The flow of energy rushes through the chains, and she can see it. She sees the Bureau of Balance, she sees Takko, Merle, and Magnus celebrating the Midsummer Solstice. She also sees the rest of the planet. and on it, are seven faint lights. It's here. The power to recreate the world as she sees fit. And she grins, as she peers into the Celestial Plane. She knows where she must begin to corrupt the balance.


End file.
